For the facts, click the links provided by USAFACTS .
Which government programs are wasteful?
The presidential actionordering the implementation of DOGE’s cost efficiency initiative lays out how agencies were to work with DOGE to review waste, fraud, and abuse in government contracting.
So which government programs are prone to such wasteful spending?
DOGE has its wall of receipts, but the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) also maintains a decades-old list of inefficient programs to help save taxpayers money and encourage government efficiency. In its most-recent data, it noted 37 spending priorities it considered highly vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.
Since 1990, the GAO has produced a list of federal programs at high risk for financial issues and in need of reform. These issues with these programs can threaten the nation’s public health and safety, national security, and economic growth. The GAO might also include programs at risk of losing at least $1 billion.
The list includes several Defense Departmentprograms, such as its weapon systems acquisition (first put on the list in 1990), contract management (1992), and financial management (1995).
Acquisition and program management regarding the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has also been on the list since its original release in 1990. We covered aspects of the NNSAin March.
Additions from 2021 to 2023 included strengthening management of the federal prison system, Health and Human Services’ leadership of public health emergencies, emergency loans for small businesses, and efforts to prevent and respond to drug misuse.
The GAO’s report highlighted five areas that particularly needed attention:
- National cybersecurity
- Government responses to drug abuse
- Federal food safety oversight
- Government liability for environmental cleanup
- Managing fiscal risks associated with climate change
According to the GAO, congressional and agency actions addressing high-risk areas saved the government an estimated $100 billion between 2021 and 2023.
The GAO looks at certain criteria when considering removing a program from the list, including whether the agencies involved have the staffing and funding needed, whether there is a program in place to monitor progress, and whether the people and agencies are demonstrating progress.
See the full list here. And as always, you can track what the government’s spent on various programs in our unique chart.
You’ve likely heard in the news that Elon Musk’s time at DOGE as a special government employee is ending. But we will still be here each week, bringing you data behind departments and programs related to cost-cutting, workforce changes, and efficiency efforts.
We’ll see you next week.
